The UF Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience will conduct a public groundbreaking ceremony from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at 9505 Ocean Shore Blvd.

The Whitney Laboratory, located on the border of St. Johns and Flagler counties, has been working to start a Sea Turtle Hospital to rehabilitate sick turtles and research a disease that is impacting sea turtles in Northeast Florida.

Director Mark Q. Martindale and others will highlight plans for the Sea Turtle Hospital. There will also be children’s activities focused on marine conservation and sea turtles.

The Whitney is breaking ground to meet regulations to house and treat protected sea turtles. With the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) permitting, the Whitney would be the only sea turtle hospital backed by the University of Florida research faculty.

According to a press release from the Whitney Laboratory, a sea turtle hospital is needed in Northeast Florida to treat fibropapillomatosis (FP) tumors and return turtles to the wild. This disease is increasingly impacting Florida sea turtles, especially green turtles, causing tumors that grow both externally and internally.

Once trained veterinarians remove the external tumors and rehabilitate the sea turtle, it can be returned to its habitat. When there is extensive spread of these tumors, it impedes their feeding and movement and can lead to the death of the sea turtle.

The Whitney plans to also treat sea turtles during cold stun events as in the past, assist with injuries due to vessels and is developing a research effort using methods to investigate medical and ecological issues affecting marine turtles and the overall local marine ecosystem.

Whitney Laboratory received a start up gift to help establish the treatment rooms, life support and tank systems. The Lab is working to raise additional funding to outfit the hospital with the necessary equipment and supplies to sustain the hospital.

The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience is a biomedical and biotechnology research institute of the University of Florida.

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